STATE CINEMA
Us (MA15+) This movie is best classified as horror with a lot more on its mind than merely scaring you. It’s a movie that plays a winning mind game, even if you’re never quite sure of the rules.
Captain Marvel (M) Oscar winner Brie Larson crafts a character who channels more individuality than your typical Marvel he-man, displaying a resilience, a resolve, a humour and an honesty that courses deeper than many viewers will expect.
The Kindergarten Teacher (M) Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Lisa Spinelli, a selfless New York kindergarten teacher experiencing a devastating identity crisis. When Lisa discovers one of her infant students can compose and recite poetry of the highest, heart-rending calibre, her own carefully nurtured suite of talents — as a mother, educator and aspiring writer — fall apart alarmingly.
Dumbo (PG) While the new Dumbo does make some significant changes to the original story to accommodate its real-world setting, the superb direction of Tim Burton and the acting of a well-cast ensemble both fit the bill perfectly. More importantly, the special effects pull off the feat of having us believe an elephant can swoop, glide and soar like a falcon
Woman at War (M) A busy screenplay centres on a 50-year-old woman named Halla (Halldora Geirharosdottir) and her clandestine campaign to impede activity at an aluminium smelter on her beloved island off the coast of Iceland. Not all of it works, but what does, works wonders.
The Aftermath (M) This one goes out to those who can’t get enough of Keira Knightley dressed to the period-era nines, slinking about well-appointed mansions while stealing wellrehearsed glances at well-built males. This is a rickety romantic drama that goes comically close to collapsing on several occasions. Breaking Habits (M) This dodgy doco is about a solitary “nun” crusading against a US county’s oppressive medical marijuana laws risks life, limb and a long stretch in jail to get her healing hooch into the hands of those who need it most. However, it would be unwise to buy this at face value.